Nursing/Postpartum Tuesday: 3-in-1 Maternity Hoodie

One of my regrets in new motherhood is that I didn’t try to wear my son more while out and about. I defaulted to using the stroller with the car seat adapter and used the stroller for walking around. However, I did find that wearing him during the “witching hour” really did soothe him, and maybe he would have liked being in a carrier more frequently. For those of you who are getting a lot of mileage out of your sling/carrier, this hoodie looks adorable. It has a panel to add to fit the carrier inside of it, and it has an opening for the top of your baby’s head. It looks super comfy, I love the length, and I would 100% wear this even without the carrier insert beyond the pregnancy/baby stage. It is $89 at Seraphine.com. 3-in-1 Maternity Hoodie

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About April

April is a working mom, a longtime reader of CorporetteMoms, and has been writing our morning fashion advice for working moms since April 2018! She has one child (born 2/17!) and she’s a public interest lawyer in NYC.

Comments

I had a knockoff version of this and it was amazing! I wore it everyday for the first winter and into the second with my son. Mine didn’t have the zip out carrier bit so wasn’t useful beyond that, but I passed it along to another mom who wears it regularly.

Seriously tempted by this sweatshirt…I have a down jacket that has this functionality and it was great for babywearing in the winter, but I never felt very sure-footed since I could not see my feet or anywhere around them. I assume a lot of that was the puffy nature of the down coat, did you feel ok walking and doing stairs in your sweatshirt one?

I have some career questions for lawyer moms. I am looking to switch from private practice to a government job. I know it will be hard but I want to try at least. I saw an appellate research attorney position and I was wondering if any of know any online resources or forums for the job application process:resume suggestions, cover letter, process etc. Thank you.

Are you looking at a federal, state, or local gov job? I moved from private practice to state government about 5 years ago. My application package wasn’t that different from a private sector application, but I the way I approached applying was: I made contacts with the government attorneys in my practice area through a colleague well in advance of an opening and then, when the position was posted, I reached out to the line attorney and mentioned I wanted to apply, and he walked my resume down to the hiring attorney. I still had to submit the application package through the state HR website. If you still have a copy of your bar application, it will come in handy here, because for background checks, you might be asked your last few residences, schools, etc. (stuff I had to dig up for my bar application and hadn’t thought about in years prior.) The only other difference I can think of is that in my interview I stressed that I wanted to do public service and was very serious about the government role/civic pride. Good luck!

+1, this is all good advice. I was able to network w/gov’t attorneys in my desired office (fed gov’t) through my alumni association. They were generous with their time and then also walked my application package to the head of the hiring committee. If you use LinkedIn, see if you have any mutual contacts who work at the office you’re interested in – that’s another way to make connections.

Not an attorney, but as someone who has done a lot of hiring for state government, here are some tips that make the process a bit different than hiring on the private side (may not be universally true, but can’t hurt to share):
-Yes, the application and your resume/cover letter are redundant. Fill in the application anyway. Many agencies will count a response of “see resume” as an incomplete application and will toss it.
-Honestly, your resume/cover letter attachments probably won’t get looked at at all unless your application warrants it, so don’t assume they’ll see any information in your attachments. Actually take time with the application.
-Don’t assume the hiring agency will make connections between your experience and the position requirements for you. In most cases, they can’t do that on your behalf. There is very little subjectivity allowed in the initial screening process in most government jobs I’m aware of. It may not even be the hiring manager doing the initial screening (I always insist on doing my own, but not everyone can/does), it could be some HR assistant who has NO idea what experience is actually relevant.

This is probably slightly different when applying to be an attorney, but I did want to share in case it could help you or someone else!

I”m a government appellate attorney (fed). Your cover letter needs to use many of the same terms/words used in the job description. Many agencies have an automated filtering system that weeds out a lot of applicants this way.

I would also used Linkedin to identify people in the current agency and ideally in the role you are applying for. I would ask for an informational phone interview to find out more about the job and then reference your conversation with that specific person in the cover letter. Ask good questions and be prepared, and if you’re lucky they will like you and will pass on your resume to the hiring manager (not the HR person, but the actual person who will be your boss). Good luck!

+1000 to using the words in the job application. If I have to enter information into an automated system, I update my current duties to use that language– to me, it does not matter if I “supervise” or “oversee” the work of junior associates, but the system will not substitute other words for the job requirements.

I saw your post late last night and your desperation was so familiar and so palpable that I wanted to reach out. My firstborn nursed every 1-1.5 hours through the night and not much less frequently during the day for the first many weeks. I have never felt so tired and sad and desperate. So, I have these things to say:

1. The early days as a first time mom are the worst. I promise you, better days are coming and they are coming soon.
2. A lot of problems with babies can only be solved with time. See above.
3. Do whatever you need/want to in order to cope. Do not let any other person tell you what routine/sleep surface/sleeps aids/whatever makes sense for you. Sure, if some mom out there had a relatively easy sleeper or a spouse who could help out a lot or whatever then she may have come to the conclusion that the risk involved in using a Dock-a-Tot wasn’t worth it, but you can make a different decision based on your own circumstances and still be right.
4. You can do it! You ARE doing it! You are a strong, caring mom and your baby is very lucky to have you.

I don’t want to out and out disagree with doing what you need to do to cope. That said, I heeded that advice a little too much with my firstborn.

I nursed to sleep always (excluding daycare but including naps at home) and coslept in the early days to cope. They worked so well and then I could never find an ideal time to break the habits (back to work, teething, cold, etc.). It kind of shackled me to my baby for the first year.

I finally sleep trained nights at 13 months and nap trained closer to 18 months. The habits never resolved on their own (and in fact nursing to sleep and night wakings got worse with age) and I wasn’t willing to wait until 2 or 3 years old to see if they naturally broke then (per a lot of more crunchy mom blogs).

I’m on baby #2 as we speak (who is only 12 weeks so TBD on long term results) but I am forcing myself to be a bit more regimented with healthy sleep habits and so far we’re in better shape with napping solo, sleeping solo at night, etc.

I’m also renting a Snoo so that is a big difference this time around but I think it is helping me not resort to nursing to sleep and cosleeping. Again TBD because we’ve yet to wean from the Snoo.

I am also going to endorse Taking Cara Babies newborn course. I read a lot of sleep books and worked with a sleep trainer prior to taking the course for my second. None of the information in Taking Cara Babies was new to me but the format and distillation of information was very helpful. I was hesitant to take it because it seemed overhyped but I do recommend it. My biggest takeaway from it is the eat- play-sleep format (I was play-eat-sleep with my first), starting looking for a nap 60-90 minutes from the last nap, and to try and put the baby down for a solo nap at least once a day.

I’ve been eyeing this hoodie for a while since I baby wear when going out 95% of the time. I’m torn between all of Seraphine’s baby wearing things- specifically, the jacket, the puffer vest, and this hoode. (I’ve decided I wouldn’t get enough use out of the winter coat given our weather this year). Anyone have thoughts or feedback on the practicality and long term use of any of these options? We live in DC and my kid is 3 months old. Or also- can anyone share links to other options?
Thanks!

Also in DC. I either wore my own coat unzipped and bundled the baby, or I borrowed a zip-up sweatshirt or jacket from my husband. Those were large enough that I could zip up to the baby’s back. Not the most attractive option, but it worked!

Same location, I have a Kimi & Kai down jacket that has a zip-in panel for babywearing. For me it’s been a good purchase, because I got it on sale and used for 2 pregnancies, plus I wore my first in it when they were about 7-9 months old (I didn’t use it from birth because of when they were born). As I commented above, it was hard to see my feet and stairs felt kind of precarious, so I’d recommend against something that is puffy for that reason. I am considering this hoodie for myself and think it would be more practical than the jacket for babywearing this winter given our weather right now, plus hopefully I could see my feet. Like today, I think you’d overheat if you had a heavier jacket around you and baby, but this seems like a good option w/an umbrella or maybe an open raincoat over it plus an umbrella.

I should add that when we were going through our first winter with #1, it was nice not to have to bundle them as much if I was using my babywearing coat, whereas if my husband was carrying, the baby needed to have a winter suit on basically.

Any feedback on Freemie cups from the well-endowed? I’m an h-cup while nursing, and I just can’t tell from photos how well the system will stay in place. Also, any opinions on how useful they are? I will be pumping in a private locked office, so I’m not worried about being walked in on. But maybe the cups are better anyway to get the horns out of the way so I can continue to type, etc.?

I love the freemie for walking around at home (note: very much not well-endowed, so can’t help there). I put the cups in a nursing bra and probably ruin it as it stretches out, but the cups stay in place. I don’t love it for pumping at work, just because of the number of parts. It is not easy to clean. Portability is great, but FOUR parts to take apart and clean is not what I am looking for for my day to day pumping regimen. I use the Medela at work/ for travel, the freemie at home at night (I have a 9 pm pump I can’t drop if I don’t want to pump at 3 am), then the lansinoh manual for airports/relief when I plan to dump milk.

Hello! Can anyone recommend ponte pants for work? I used to love the Sloan from BR but my size has changed since 2 kids. I bought Pixie Pants from Old Navy but don’t love them. I also tried the Brass ponte pant and hated the constricted waste band. Help!!

J. Jill ponte pants. Pull on, comfy waistband, slightly different styling every year, tons of color and patterns. No pockets, but it’s like wearing pajamas to work and it sure doesn’t look it. I am a recent convert and looking forward to never wearing other work pants again, haha!

When are kids able to carry their own bag/suitcase at the airport? We have a trip planned in a month when LO is 2.5 years old. Am I crazy in thinking we could get one of those smaller suitcases and have him roll it at the airport along with us? Thanks!

Depends on your child, but at 2.5 it’s not unreasonable they will wheel it sometimes. I’d get one with a strap though so you can pick it up and carry as well or loop over your suitcase. Because that’s what will happen at least 75% of the time.

I think this is very airport/kid/flight time dependent! At 2.5 my kids loved pulling small suitcases behind them, as long as they were in the right mood. If they were tired/whiny/clingy/hungry it was challenging enough just to get them to walk without pulling anything. And then there are airports like IAD where it can literally take 20+ minutes at an adult walking pace to get from security to your gate (with multiple escalators or elevators), which my 2.5 yos would’t have been able to handle with a suitcase.

Our preferred method is still check one maximum-sized suitcase for our family of 4, and everyone just has their own backpack for a carryon.

Yeah, the distance you have to walk at many airports would be my limiting factor. I actually still often gate-check a stroller on flights even though my kid is almost 4 just because I don’t want her normal-for-a-kid but slow-for-an-adult pace to be the reason we miss a connection.

Totally depends on the travel plan. I still travelled with two strollers for my 4 year old twins because we were transiting through some big international airports and I’ve previously had experiences where we had to stick the kids in the stroller and literally run to catch a connecting flight. If you’re a one flight situation and a non-huge airport, it’s a totally different ballgame.

If you get a rolling suitcase, get a trunki so they can ride it if they get tired.

At 2.5 we did small backpack for kids each with stuffie, paci and book – small enough that it literally wouldn’t have fit anything else so it wouldn’t be too heavy for them. Plus backpack for me and DH with stuff to entertain ourselves and kid, one rolling suitcase with our ‘flight’s delayed and we’re stuck for 24 hours’ stuff, plus carry on strollers.

My not-quite-yet-2-year-old insisted on pushing along the full-size suitcase when we last traveled with her and wanted to walk and be in charge of the full roller bag the entire way. So in my experience it would be totally fine, and even preferable to give her a tiny bag to be in charge of rather than something bigger than herself that really slowed us down. You know your kid best – maybe get one and practice at home and see how it goes before deciding what to bring?

My 23 month old wheeled a tiny suitcase on our last trip. It was slooooow but we weren’t in a rush. Before that we did a big family checked suitcase and individual backpacks (frequently throwing her backpack in the stroller).

I apply the you have to be able to carry it yourself rule to my kids’ carry-on backpack when we travel. I let them pack a backpack with toys (6&9) but insist that they carry it themselves. It helps limit the heavy stuff that they insist they need for a weekend trip.

For the type of travel we do, a rolling suitcase for my son would not be practical. We almost always travel places where we need to rent a car (and live in a car city) so rolling our 2 suitcases, plus his suitcase, plus the carseat, through the parking lot at our home airport and then again wherever we go would not work for us. When my son was about 3, we got him a backpack so he has that.

+1 to all of this. You’re just asking for trouble giving a 2.5 year old a rolling suitcase. My 3 year old son wears his backpack with a few of his personal things in it and sits on our rideable carry on suitcase because I loathe bringing strollers to airports. He gets to learn some responsibility but doesn’t slow me down and it frees a little space in my purse. Bonus that he thinks it’s fun.

I would buy it and expect you’ll do a good portion of transporting it. My 4 year old LOVES to play vacation and has for at least a year and a half. A suitcase is one of her favorite toys beyond its utility as a suitcase. She’ll sit it next to her chair and “fly” and then wheel it around the house “on vacation”. It is adorable.

+1. I said above that my almost 2 year old had a suitcase on our last trip. We got it only because she was asking for it and because she wanted it to play “vacation” at home. The suitcase has gotten lots of non-travel use, and it’s not hard to use when traveling (either she wheels it and we walk slowly, or we put her and it in the stroller and walk fast). I definitely don’t think it’s a necessity for travel, but it brings her a lot of joy and hasn’t made traveling any more difficult. Regardless of the luggage situation, we always bring a stroller and I don’t foresee that stopping any time soon – even with a 5 year old I imagine you might need a stroller if you have to run through the airport to make a tight connection.

Over the holidays I flew with my two kids by myself (husband drove to destination; long story!). My 2.5 y.o. carried his adorable little backpack with three board books, an empty water bottle and a toy car…it weighed probably 2 lbs and he mostly happily carried it himself. He definitely couldn’t have handled a rolling suitcase, but he’s also pretty tiny.

my kids both happily carried their own luggage at 2.5. Keep in mind that those suitcases are TINY and you won’t fit all their stuff in it- but kiddo carried coloring books, toys, headphones, snacks, one change of cloths, water bottle and a stuffie. You may want to make sure you have a carry strap for it in case you have a LONG walk or have to move particularly quickly and need to scoop up the kiddo.

By 4(ish) my kids were able to haul all their stuff all the way from the car to the plane, including on/off the shuttle.

I over Marie Kondo-ed my closet and got rid of all maternity clothes because I was so done with them. Now, going back to work, I officially have very few items that fit. Can anyone help with a capsule I can go out and buy to get me over the hump at work? It also doesn’t help that in the 4 months I have been out, things have gotten more casual. Like from business casual (no jeans) to jeans every day. I have a handful of shells that will work and a couple of blazers, but likely need to run out to buy jeans and a couple cardigans tonight. Anything else I should include in my quick shopping spree as a must have?

I liked blousy tunic shirts when I was pack to work post partum. I got some from Old Navy and Ann Taylor. Easy to push up if you are pumping, but just generally forgiving and comfy and made me feel less frumpy than trying to do multiple pieces on top every day. I also think black ankle pants are useful, although I was not in a jeans-everyday office.

I am currently obsessed with the sweater blazers from J Crew and J Crew Factory, specifically the Sophie from J Crew and the Vanessa and the open front sweater blazer from Factory (also, no noticeable difference in quality between the two stores). Pair with black pants and black shirt, add jewelry, comfy black flats or heels, and go. This is most of my capsule until spring comes.

I’d get/find 2-3 pieces each of jeans, sweater, shell, cardigan, blazer, pants, all in coordinating colors (up to you, but maybe go with navy and gray for neutrals and pops of whatever colors tie in your existing shells). Then you can mix and match the tops and bottoms to get 5 solid but different outfits for each week. That should last you at least a month or two until you get in a rhythm and can figure out what else you need.

I bought the Eileen Fisher crepe pants when I was post partum and it was maybe the nicest thing I did for myself. Currently I really like the Uniqlo leggings pants (I have the heat tech ones) for casual days. I wear to work with a long sweater/tunic on a casual Friday (and always wear around the house). I have a black pair and navy pair and they go with everything.

Has anyone used one of the car services in NYC that offers car seats? I’m headed to NYC with my two kiddos in February, and I really would rather avoid the bus to subway situation. I’m used to taking a cab into the city, and this is the first time I’m bringing my kids with me.

Not quite the answer to your question, but how old are your kids? Could you do something like a backless travel booster (BubbleBum, MiFold, etc) and a travel vest (WhizRider or RideSafer)? Both are small to carry and then you’d have ways for them to ride safely in a taxi.

I am sure this will be an unpopular opinion on this board, but everyone I know in NYC with kids that old just puts their kids in the taxi without a car seat / using the regular seatbelt. Some use a travel vest for longer rides.

With that being said, I have used Kidcar (with younger children) and have no complaints.

I wouldn’t blink at 6&9 in just seatbelts for a short trip, and I live in the suburban Midwest. That said, I recently learned that some people in NYC don’t use carseats for babies and just carry them on their laps in taxis! I’ll admit that made me clutch my (non-existent) pearls.

I’m pretty conservative on car seat usage (think 5 point harness until after first grade), but for this situation I’d just use the mifold. It folds small enough that the kids can each carry their own inside their backpack.

I have a 6 y/o and I’d be fine using a mifold for a taxi. I’d put the 9 y/o in without a booster, but I’m probably on the more lax end of the carseat spectrum (we follow the rules, but don’t go much past that. When my older two were babies, they RF’d until 1 because that was the rule. My youngest RF’d until 2 because the law changed. My oldest moved from a 5 pt to a shoulder buckle at around 4, but was totally ready (height/weight and temperament). My middle moved to a shoulder buckle and backless booster at the same time (5) because she was not able to behave in her seat. Once she could behave enough to lose the 5pt, she was physically fine for a backless.

Your kids do not legally need to be in a car seat in a cab in NYC. (Not even babies). I talked this over with someone who works in safety at an automotive company, he pointed out that accidents at street driving speeds make up a tiny fraction of automotive deaths and never let a cab go on the highway or fast, but not worry about it that much. (We only take a cab weekly in the summer and maybe monthly the rest of the year with our four year old.)

Not in New York, but in other cities (e.g., London). They generally work like any other car service–you have a contact number, there’s a driver with your name on a card/iPad, they help with luggage, etc. You just also get to specify what kind of car seat you need. In London, for example, we needed a convertible seat and two boosters. They had it all.

I’ve also used Uber Family–not sure if they have it in New York. I used it in Orlando. It worked as well, but we had to install the seat. The driver knew how it worked and could have done it/helped, but he wasn’t driving around with it installed.

I don’t know anyone in NYC who would put their 9 year old in a car seat for a taxi ride, so I’m not sure you’ll find exactly the setup you’re familiar with. YMMV, obviously. Most NYC car services have car seats (you can google these but off the top of my head: Legends, Arecibo, and Eastern all fit the bill), though you will have to call and ask about the right kind of car seats for kids as old as yours. Uber and Lyft also have car seats in NYC, though you don’t get an option on what kind of seat– they’re all Radians, maybe?

Know which terminal your fly into at LGA when you call (or at least which airline). B&C are under construction, which means you have to trek to a parking garage to meet any car service, and they’ll then call you and tell you where they are by a series of letters and numbers. It’s annoying, but if you know what you’re doing it’s not fatal.

My two year old is having more episodes of what seems like night terror or super tantrum during nap & sleep times. Last ty time it happened at nap time, I left him in his crib and closed the door. It was a disaster. At nighttime, it usually happens when he wakes up after a few hours. It’s really bad where he cries non stop for 30-40 minutes, goes into the closet and cries, runs angrily, hits/bites me, doesn’t want to be held, says no papa, no mama, constantly cries out for mama, doesn’t want pacifier, even turning on light doesn’t help. He even carried a big diaper pail from one side to another side of the room. Last night he calmed down after some time once I started talking about balloons. I have no idea what’s going on. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any strategies for preventing or coping with this? Thanks!

My oldest went through stretches where he had night terrors. The thing with night terrors is that the child is not actually awake, even if they are talking/walking/etc. When it would happen, I would go in, sit next to him as he screamed and rub his back. I would not engage him any further, and he would slowly settle back down. Waking him up completely just made the situation so much worse. My recollection is that the advice is that as scary as it seems, to just let them work it through without trying to wake them and keep them safe. I found that the night terrors were worse when he was short on sleep for any number of reasons.

Anyone else have a kiddo who hits milestones in an unusual order? DS rolled back-to-front at barely three months, then didn’t roll front-to-back for months, until he was nearly sitting up. Now we are starting to suspect he is going to skip crawling entirely, or maybe just do it for a very brief period. We’re not worried about him, and neither is the ped — it’s just a little wild, wondering what he will do in what order.

My younger baby just didn’t till front to back. Ever. Rolled back to front from 1-2 months, then body proportions change and his method didn’t work so didn’t roll again till back to front around 4 months. No front to back till after he could crawl, sit, etc. it was weird but not problematic!

What are your favorite kids’ rain boots? It’s not cold here, but it will rain almost every day from now until mid-April. Day care has suggested that I send kiddo to school in a rain boots, with a pair of dry shoes to change into after they play outside. Am I overthinking this? All his shoes are washable, so I could just send two pairs. I already send him in a rain coat with a hood, in case that wasn’t obvious.

We have the crocs rain boots. We haven’t used them much yet, but they seem sturdy, comfortable, and very waterproof. Kiddo was running around in the rain, jumping in puddles, and standing under the gutter spout this weekend–he had a blast, and his feet stayed dry.

I’d get rain boots. We didn’t have any for the longest time and I don’t know why I didn’t get them sooner. We bought them a little on the big side and the kids have worn them for more than a year, they LOVE wearing boots, and even the 2.5 year old had no problem putting them on by himself. It was worth the $$. I don’t think the brand particularly matters, but since you asked, we have Hatley and something else. For toddlers, the ones that have little handles on top to help pull them on are probably a good idea.

Seconding this. We bought rainboots when our twins turned 18 months and moved up to the toddler room at daycare (where they go for walks/outside in wet weather, unlike the infant room) and they were a little big then, but still fit now 1.5 years later. Ours were just random ones we found online, for about $25 each, I think.

For rainy days, our daycare used rain boots, pants, and rain coat. I don’t see how they stay remotely dry otherwise, especially when jumping in puddles etc. Peppa has made jumping in muddy puddles very popular in our household.

Totes Cirrus ones (I get mine at Target). They’re super light and I buy them a little big so toddler (2.5) can put them on herself. I think we’re on our 2nd or 3rd pair (for growth reasons!) and I would not buy anything else. Kiddo LOVES puddle stomping, so they’re definitely a year-round staple for us.

My son looooooved rain boots when he was in preschool as they are easy to get on (he has high arches). We wore them daily until a raging case of athlete’s foot forced us to make some ground rules. He especially loved the light-up ones we got him (from Western Chief I think), but I would see what is available on 6pm.com and get something cheap. We haven’t had any that weren’t acceptable.

We are on pair four of LoneCone brand rain boots, which were the most affordable yet durable seeming option. Last well enough to hand down (although my kid’s feet grow really fast). My younger kid has such chubby feet/ankles/calves that I can’t get crocs boots all the way on, even in a size up!

We’ve had the Bogs dupes from Target. The neoprene makes them much more comfy. We also have had some classic wellies from Polarn O Pyret because they were so cute, but the wider top was not great for serious mud slogging.

Thank you to those who responded yesterday with support for my news that I am having twins. I am still quite shocked but getting more excited. Thank you for the advice to just accept and prepare for what’s happening. I checked out Lucies list which was cute/helpful and twinversity which seemed spammy, but did others find it useful?
Will be back here with more questions I am sure!

You do not need twinversity or twin love concierge. A friend of a friend worked for twin love concierge and kept trying to convince me i needed their services. One thing i highly recommend if you can swing it financially is a night nurse and generally planning for/hiring as much help as possible if you don’t have family that can help.

Congrats! My twins are almost 12, so my recommendations for resources are woefully out of date. I’ll just say that it will all be good. I remember being so overwhelmed as a senior associate expecting twins and during the first year (in 2008, during the recession), but it really was all okay. We all made it through. They thrived. We thrived. Our careers thrived. We even had a third child we felt so on top of things (haha)!

Congratulations! It’s not easy at the start, but twins are awesome
I am in NY so did the twiniversity course in Manhattan. It was fairly inexpensive from what I recall and we did it in lieu of all the hospital courses that didn’t really apply to us with twins. Plus we got tons of freebies that were quite helpful. You’ll be fine without it but it was a nice sent of belonging since so much of the pregnancy experience feels like an outlier with twins
I also appreciated being a part of the Brooklyn twins group and they were typically very generous passing along hand me downs and other local recommendations. After the kids were born, I was lucky enough to find an amazing twin mom’s FB group where I’ve found incredible support.
But there are also quite a few twin parents here so continue to post and hopefully we can help